Plural eye unit holding means for doll heads



Sept. 3, 1968 I H. BRUDNEY ETAL 3,399,488

PLURAL EYE UNIT HOLDING MEANS FOR DOLL HEADS Filed April 20, 1964 INVEN7'0E5 H422) BRUD/VEY RICHARD J. TUPS'HEN A T TOR/V5 Y United States Patent Harry Brudney,

Division of mont, N.Y., assignors to Dollac Company, Jacoby-Bender, Inc., Woodside, NY.

Filed Apr. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 360,826 8 Claims. (Cl. 46169) This invention relates to doll eyes and more particularly to devices for holding a pair of doll eyes in a doll head.

In general there are two kinds of doll heads, one type being of flexible, plastic or rubbery material and another type being of relatively rigid material which may be plastic or plaster, or the like. In the instance of doll heads of plastic material which are flexible, modern practice is to mold eye socket cavities in the course of the molding process, and doll eye units, for example, of a type shown in our US. Patent 3,091,893, issued June 4, 1963, may be pushed into respective cavities from the front of a head. However, there are certain types of molding, for example, blow molding and injection molding, and certain types of plastic wherein such mode of doll eye insertion is not feasible due to the lack of stretchability of the material. Under such circumstances it is generally necessary to provide some relatively complex means for holding a pair of eyes in place relative to eye apertures in the doll face and, of course, where such eyes are of the sleeping doll type, some mechanical complexity is involved. For example, a device called a bridge, which holds a pair of eyeballs, may be used and such an arrangement is shown in many prior art US. patents, such as Manning, 1,903,- 949; COhn 2,997,811, and others.

Such prior art arrangements are expensive and require considerable hand work in addition to the mechanical complexity involved. The present invention eliminates this by making it possible to use standard individual doll eye units in a so-called hard head doll. For example, units as shown in the aforementioned Patent 3,091,893.

The use of bridges introduces assembly complications as well as considerable expense and further introduces the problem that it is virtually impossible to orient the individual eyes in a natural manner with respect to the doll face. Accordingly, general symmetry is utilized with bridge construction, in that the eyes must be hand fitted soas to have the proper optical axis orientation with respect to the doll face eye apertures or, in any event, must be assembled in such a way as to match the angularity of the optical axes of the apertures. Thus, straightforward pointing of the eyes does not present a completely natural appearance and it is desirable to effect a certain amount of individual angularity of each eye. It would not be physically possible to mold apertures with eye supporting mounts in non-flexible doll heads in order to provide the complete angularity required for holding respective eye units. This would create undercuts in molding.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an arrangement wherein eye-receiving sockets of relatively non-flexible doll head material may be molded Without regard to the ultimate angularity of the eyes which they are to receive and yet wherein angularity of such eyes may be effected by adjustment during assembly and the eyes subsequently locked in adjusted position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a construction wherein individal eye units may be utilized in non-flexible doll heads and held therein in predetermined angularity in a very simple and economical manner.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a construction wherein a simple assembly of eye units, as shown in our aforementioned patent, can be effected.

3,399,488 Patented Sept. 3, 1968 In general, the invention comprises the molding of eye apertures with rearwardly facing open sockets having surfaces which match the configuration of the front shell of the doll units that they are to receive. Such front shells are generally spherical or nearly so and, accordingly, the doll eye unit placed in contiguity with such surface may be rotated with respect to the aperture in any plane to a predetermined angularity of the optical axis with respect to the doll face. Accordingly, doll eye units are set in place within said sockets and initially set at an approximate angle at which they are desired to remain with reference to a horizontal plane when the doll head is in its upright position. Subsequently a bar is pushed into the doll head having prongs set at a predetermined angularity which engage in dimples of respective units. Thus, the bar serves to permanently hold each unit at a desired angularity by pressing the units up against the surfaces of the doll head sockets.

In that manner, although the eye aperture sockets may be initially molded with a certain amount of angularity, an increased angular effect can be achieved by the arrangement described exceeding that which would be possible, were full angularity attempted by molding of the head. Thus, it would not be possible to injection mold the apertures at a substantial angle due to undercutting and the present invention compensates for this condition by providing an arrangement whereby the doll eye units may be set at an angle with respect to the molded apertures.

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the front portion of a doll head;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the front portion, looking in the direction 22 of FIG, 1;

FIG. 3 is -a magnified elevation in partial section showing a doll eye unit in place in a socket, on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross section in plan showing the arrangement of a pair of doll eye units in a doll head;

FIG. 5 is a magnified rear view of one of the doll eye units; and

FIG. 6 is a magnified partial view on the line 66 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a doll head having a front half 10 and it will be understood that assembly takes place within such front half. The rear half has an edge complementary to the rabbeted edge 12 so as to be cemented thereto in a conventional manner. The head is molded with two parallel grooves 15 at opposite sides, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6, which progress from the rear edge 12 to a point adjacent the eye sockets 20. Thus, the parallelism of the grooves 15 provide a guide and re taining means for a bar 24 which may be molded of plastic and have rails 26 which may be slid into position into the doll head from the edge 12 in order to clamp eye units, such as 28, in place in respective sockets 20 in a manner to be described.

Each socket 20 is provided with a substantially spherical seat 30 in which the spherical front shell 34 of a doll eye unit may rotate so that the angularity of the eye may be predetermined. The peripheral shoulder 38 of the unit has a clearance with the annular spacing 42 of the socket in order to permit suitable placing of the doll eye unit within the socket, as will be evident from FIG. 3, suitable clearance slots 43 for trunnion housings 44 being provided. The rear shell 46 which is, of course, a stationary housing member of the doll eye unit is provided with a conical dimple or recess 50 to accommodate a conical prong 53 of the clamping or retaining bar 24. It will be noted that the prongs 53 are angularly oriented so that they may be inserted into the respective dimples 50 and hold respective eye units at a predetermined angularity.

3 Thus, as seen in FIG. 6, the lines C-C represent th true position of the opticalaxis .of an eye as itwould he were the eye set straightforward. However, by setting the eye at a desired angle A, and making the prongs 53 conform to such angle, the eye unit may be set with its optical axis on the line C-C', which is considered to have a more natural effect than straightforward looking eyes.

The. angle B, as shown in FIG. 6, is variable depending upon the particular character of the doll, or the design of the doll but, in any event, is limited as to angularity because of the danger of undercuts in the use of hard or semi-hard plastics.

In assembly, the eye units are merely placed into their respective sockets with the head facing downward (FIG. 4) and set at approximately the angle desired. Friction between the front shells 34 and the spherical surfaces 30 will normally hold them at that angle until the bar 24 is pressed into place, thus positioning the prongs 53 into dimples 50, whence the eye units are firmly and finally adjusted thereby and locked in the position desired, in accordance with the angularity of the prongs 53. The bar 24 may be held frictionally, or cemented, or both.

The bars are specially designed for particular doll heads and may be molded in the same mold as the doll head. The conicity of the dimples 50 and the prongs 53 may be about 45, and recesses 56 accommodate the eye units.

Attention is directed to the trunnion housings 44 and their coaction with the grooves or slots 43 which are provided in diametrically opposed relation in the aperture walls. A certain looseness between the trunnion housings and the grooves is effected so that there will be no binding action when the eye units are inserted in the aperture. However, the keying effect prevents rotation of the eye units about their optical axes and at the same time facilitates locating the eye units in proper position with respect to the doll face.

Having thus described the invention, it is understood that changes may be made within the spirit thereof and, accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to the precise illustration herein given, except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a doll head, a face portion having a pair of eye apertures therethrough, a doll eye unit having a stationary housing frictionally engaging in each of said aper tures, said housings having generally rounded frontal areas engaging complementary shaped areas within said apertures, means whereby said units are mounted in angularly oriented position with respect to said doll face, wherein each said unit has a rear portion provided with a socket, and a locking member is provided within said head having prongs insertable in respective sockets for securing said units in said oriented positions.

2. The combination of a doll head having a face portion provided with eye apertures and eye units having respective stationary housings frictionally engaging in said apertures and means for locking said eye units within said face portion comprising a bar secured therein and extending thereacross, means whereby said bar effects securing of said eye units, said latter means including coacting sockets and prongs on said bar and units, said sockets and prongs being alined axially of respective eye apertures.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 2, said eye units and the respective apertures having generally rounded .en-

gaging surfaces, said eye units being oriented to a predetermined mutual angularity in respective apertures, and said sockets being thus disposed in corresponding angularity, and said prongs having substantially the same angularity and disposed in said sockets for maintaining said angularity.

4. In a device as set forth in claim 2, said apertures being provided with diametrically opposed grooves and said eye units being provided with diametrically opposed and radially extending trunnion housing projections loosely receivable in respective grooves.

5. In a doll head, a face portion having a pair of eye apertures therethrough, a doll eye unit in each of said apertures, said units having generally rounded frontal areas engaging complementary shaped areas within said apertures, said units being angularly oriented with respect to said doll face, said units each having a rear portion provided with a socket and a locking bar within said head having prong means inserted in said respective sockets for securing said units in said oriented positions, said head having opposed grooves and said bar being carried in said grooves.

6. The combination of a doll head having a face portion provided with eye apertures and eye units disposed in said apertures and means for locking said eye units within said face portion comprising a bar secured therein and extending thereacross, said eye units and said bar having coacting socket means and prongs, respectively, in mating engagement with each other whereby said bar effects securing of said eye units, said bar being generally in the plane of the optical axes of said eye units.

7. In a device as set forth in claim 6, said eye units and the respective apertures having generally rounded engaging surfaces, said eye units being oriented to a predetermined angularity, and said socket means being thereby disposed in corresponding angularity with respect to said bar, and said prongs havingsubstantially the same angularity and inserted in said sockets for maintaining said angularity, said prongs being generally in the plane of said bar.

8. In a device as set forth in claim 7, said apertures being provided with diametrically opposed grooves and said eye units being provided with diametrically opposed and radially extending trunnion housings loosely disposed in respective grooves.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,361,847 12/ 1920 Giebeler-Wanke 46-169 1,390,820 9/1921 Schoenhut 46-169 2,601,741 7/1952 Cohn et a1 46-169 2,618,890 11/1952 MacDonald 46-169 2,653,414 9/1953 Baggott 46-169 2,688,814 9/1954 Irelan 46-169 2,997,811 8/1962 Cohn 46-169 .FOREIGN PATENTS 646,308 11/ 1950 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DOLL HEAD, A FACE PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF EYE APERTURES THERETHROUGH, A DOLL EYE UNIT HAVING A STATIONARY HOUSING FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING IN EACH OF SAID APERTURES, SAID HOUSING HAVING GENERALLY ROUNDED FRONTAL AREAS ENGAGING COMPLEMENTARY SHAPED AREAS WITHIN SAID APERTURES, MEANS WHEREBY SAID UNITS ARE MOUNTED IN ANGULARLY ORIENTED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID DOLL FACE, WHEREIN EACH SAID UNIT HAS A REAR PORTION PROVIDED WITH A SOCKET, AND A LOCKING MEMBER IS PROVIDED WITHIN SAID HEAD HAVING PRONGS INSERTABLE IN RESPECTIVE SOCKETS FOR SECURING SAID UNITS IN SAID ORIENTED POSITIONS. 